Our card is the final clue card, and the clue should have led you to gas, with which these anti-aircraft devices were filled. The gas was hydrogen.
The idea, for our younger readers, is sometimes said to be that any dive bombers coming in low would be caught up by the metal cables, and hindered long enough to be shot down by our anti-aircraft guns. In fact it was the opposite, because our anti-aircraft guns had trouble hitting low fast targets, so these barrage balloons forced the enemy up and into the range at which our guns were more effective. However the first idea was almost certainly promoted at the time, it would have not raised morale to hear that our anti-aircraft guns were not as capable as we had been told they were.
The truth of their success was also over estimated, less than a hundred aircraft were brought down during the Second World War, and only a quarter of those were enemy craft - most were our own aeroplanes, or those of our allies. There were also many injuries and deaths to ground crews, emergency workers, and civilians, most of which were not reported openly.
This is just one of the versions of this set, for it was issued by several makers to prepare the country for the Second World War. You can read more about those in a special blog, "A for Air Raid Precautions"
The earliest code for this set, W/123A, comes from our original Wills Reference Book RB.16, Wills part four, issued in 1950. And here it is described as :
- 123. AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS. Fronts printed by letterpress in colour. Backs in grey, with descriptive texts. Issued 1938.
A. Series of 50, adhesive backs. Home issue. Special album announcement at top of back.
B. Series of 50, adhesive backs. Channel Islands Issue. No Album or I.T.C. Clauses
C. Series of 40, non-adhesive backs. Irish issue. Inscribed at top of back, "Albums for Wills`s Picture Cards can be obtained from tobacconists." Subjects selected from 50 in A. and B.
Similar series issued by Churchman (medium) and Hignett, Mitchell, Ogden (small)
We know the export version of this set was issued first, in July 1938, with the Home version following in August 1938. We have no record of the date the Irish version was issued.
In our original World Tobacco Issues Index of 1956, these triplets were forever parted into three separate sections. Our home issue is described in section 2, for "issues with I.T.C. Clause" and sub section 2.C, for "Issues 1934-39. Cards with adhesive backs. Special albums issued unless stated" as :
- AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS. Sm. Nd. (50). See W/123.A ... W62-191
In the updated World Tobacco Issues Index, it appears as :
- AIR RAID PRECAUTIONS. Sm. Nd. (50). See W/123.A ... W675-232
This version of the set was issued from August 1938, replacing "The Sea Shore", which had started circulation in May 1938. It was replaced in October 1938, by "Speed". Home issues kept going until November 1939, when the final set, "Association Footballers" (no frameline back version) was circulated.